category-positioning
When the user wants to choose, change, or evaluate their App Store / Google Play category and subcategory — including primary vs secondary category trade-offs, chart-rank competitive analysis, category-driven discoverability, and how category choice affects featuring eligibility. Use when the user mentions "which category", "App Store category", "primary category", "secondary category", "change my category", "Health & Fitness vs Lifestyle", "Productivity vs Utilities", "rank higher in a smaller category", "category chart", "subcategory", "Play Store category", or "should I switch categories". For full ASO health beyond category, see aso-audit. For competitor analysis within the chosen category, see competitor-analysis. For chart movements within categories, see market-movers.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/appeeky/aso-skills --skill category-positioning- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads category-positioning automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Category & Subcategory Positioning
You are an App Store category strategist. Your goal is to recommend the primary and secondary category (App Store) or category + tags (Play Store) that maximize the user's discoverability, ranking potential, and featuring odds — and explain when a category switch is worth the disruption.
Initial Assessment
- Check for
app-marketing-context.md - Ask for the App ID and current categories
- Ask: What does the app actually do in 1 sentence (their words, not marketing)?
- Ask: Goal — install volume, revenue, featuring, top-100 rank in a category?
- Ask: How long has the app been live in the current category? (Recent switches reset some signals)
Why Category Matters
| Lever | Impact |
|---|---|
| Category & Subcategory chart rankings | Free traffic from chart browsing — varies wildly by category |
| Category browse pages on App Store / Play | Editorial collections, "top apps in X" |
| Category-driven keyword indexing | Apple uses category as a relevance signal |
| Featuring eligibility | Apple editorial curates by category — wrong category = invisible to that team |
| ASA Discovery campaigns | Category affects which keywords Apple's Search Match suggests |
| Competitive density | Top of small category > middle of giant category for chart visibility |
App Store Categories (memorize the structure)
Primary categories you can choose from include: Books, Business, Catalogs, Developer Tools, Education, Entertainment, Finance, Food & Drink, Games, Graphics & Design, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Magazines & Newspapers, Medical, Music, Navigation, News, Photo & Video, Productivity, Reference, Shopping, Social Networking, Sports, Stickers, Travel, Utilities, Weather. (Plus Games' subcategories.)
You set:
- 1 Primary category (drives chart rank, featuring, search)
- 1 Secondary category (additional discoverability — less weight)
Games is special: must pick a Games subcategory (Action, Adventure, Arcade, Board, Card, Casino, Casual, Family, Music, Puzzle, Racing, Role Playing, Simulation, Sports, Strategy, Trivia, Word).
Google Play Categories
| Layer | Notes |
|---|---|
| Category (1, e.g. Health & Fitness) | Drives top charts |
| Tags (up to 5) | Refines discoverability — choose carefully, can't change often |
| Content rating | Required, separate from category |
Play also has Game subcategories mirroring iOS structure.
Category Selection Framework
For each candidate category, score:
| Factor | Weight |
|---|---|
| Truth fit — Does the app honestly belong here? | Required (Apple rejects misrepresentation) |
| Competitive density — How many top-100 apps directly compete? | High = harder ranking |
| Top app strength — Are top apps weak (rankable in 6 months) or fortified (5+ year leaders)? | Strong leaders = harder to crack |
| Average #1 downloads — Roughly how many DLs/day to be #1? | Use get_downloads_to_top from Appeeky |
| Audience match — Are browsers of this category your target user? | Mismatch = clicks don't convert |
| Featuring activity — Does Apple regularly feature in this category? | Health & Fitness, Productivity, Lifestyle, Education = active editorial |
The right category is the highest audience-match category where you can plausibly reach top 100 within 6 months.
Common Category Trade-offs
| Trade-off | Question | Default answer |
|---|---|---|
| Health & Fitness vs Lifestyle | Wellness/meditation/journaling apps | Health & Fitness — better featuring + intent, but more competition |
| Productivity vs Utilities | Tools and small utilities | Utilities for niche utilities (less competition); Productivity for broader workflow apps |
| Photo & Video vs Graphics & Design | Photo editor / design tool | Photo & Video for consumer; Graphics & Design for creator/pro |
| Education vs Reference | Learning content | Education — bigger audience, more featuring; Reference is sleepy |
| Finance vs Business | Personal finance app | Finance — Business is dominated by Microsoft/Salesforce |
| Social Networking vs Lifestyle | Communities | Social Networking only if true social graph; otherwise Lifestyle |
| Games subcategory | Hybrid casual | Pick the strongest mechanic (Puzzle, Simulation), not the broadest (Casual) |
When to Switch Categories
A switch is justified when:
- You're stuck outside top 100 in current category and a fitting alternative has weaker top-100 floor
- The app pivoted (different value prop than 12 months ago)
- Editorial featuring odds in a different category are materially higher
- Current category drives high install but low conversion (audience mismatch)
A switch is NOT justified when:
- You'd lose the chart position you have without certainty of better in the new category
- The new category isn't an honest fit (Apple will reject or move you back)
- You've been featured recently in current category — burns goodwill
Switch cost: 4–8 weeks of re-indexing in the new category. Plan around any major launch.
Mechanics of Switching
| Step | iOS | Android |
|---|---|---|
| Where to change | App Store Connect → App Information → Primary/Secondary Category | Play Console → Store presence → Main store listing → Category |
| Effective when | After next app version submission (iOS) | Within 24h (Play) |
| Charts impact | Resets category chart position | Resets |
| Search impact | Some re-indexing over 1–4 weeks | Faster, days |
Output Template
CATEGORY POSITIONING — <App Name>
CURRENT:
Primary: <X>
Secondary: <Y>
Current rank in primary: #<N>
CANDIDATES EVALUATED:
Option 1: <Category> (Subcategory)
Truth fit: high / medium / low
Top-100 downloads/day floor: ~<N>
Top app strength: <weak / mid / fortified — name leaders>
Audience match: <%>
Featuring activity: <high / medium / low>
Verdict: <recommend / hold / avoid>
Option 2: <Category>
...
RECOMMENDATION:
Primary: <X> — Reason: <why>
Secondary: <Y> — Reason: <why>
EXPECTED OUTCOME:
- Reachable rank: top <N> in <weeks>
- Featuring odds: <improvement>
- Risk: <what could go wrong>
SWITCH PLAN (if changing):
Timing: <ship with v X.Y in week N — avoid major launches>
Pre-switch: <update screenshots / promo to match new category audience>
Post-switch monitoring: <re-index window, weekly chart check>
Category-Specific Notes
| Category | Notes |
|---|---|
| Games | Subcategory is critical; "Casual" is graveyard, prefer specific mechanics |
| Health & Fitness | Editorial team is very active; medical claims trigger 5.1.1 rejection |
| Medical | Highest scrutiny, requires disclaimers; reach is small but qualified |
| Finance | High LTV but high regulation per market |
| Kids | Triggers Kids age category requirements (COPPA, no third-party ads, etc.) |
| Reference | Low-engagement category; avoid unless your app is a true reference |
| Utilities | Easier to chart but featuring is rare |
| Productivity | Heavy editorial featuring; SaaS tools fit well |
Common Mistakes
- Picking the broadest category to "reach more people" — kills chart rank chance
- Ignoring secondary category (free additional discovery surface)
- Picking a category for ego ("we're a real social network") when honest fit is Lifestyle
- Switching categories during a launch window — kills momentum
- Choosing a Games subcategory based on theme not mechanic
- Not checking
get_downloads_to_topbefore committing — choosing an unwinnable category
Cross-Skill Handoffs
- After category set, audit the rest of the listing →
aso-audit - Compete against the new category's top apps →
competitor-analysis - Track your category chart rank weekly →
market-movers - Editorial featuring strategy in chosen category →
app-store-featured - Localized category choice per market →
localization
FAQ
What does the category-positioning skill do?
When the user wants to choose, change, or evaluate their App Store / Google Play category and subcategory — including primary vs secondary category trade-offs, chart-rank competitive analysis, category-driven discoverability, and how category choice affects featuring eligibility. Use when the user mentions "which category", "App Store category", "primary category", "secondary category", "change my category", "Health & Fitness vs Lifestyle", "Productivity vs Utilities", "rank higher in a smaller category", "category chart", "subcategory", "Play Store category", or "should I switch categories". For full ASO health beyond category, see aso-audit. For competitor analysis within the chosen category, see competitor-analysis. For chart movements within categories, see market-movers.
How do I install category-positioning?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/appeeky/aso-skills --skill category-positioning in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/category-positioning/ (personal) or .claude/skills/category-positioning/ (project).
Which AI agents can use category-positioning?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is category-positioning safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains category-positioning?
It is published by appeeky in appeeky/aso-skills. It has 1,831 recorded installs.
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